deVivre Blog

Blog - Your weekly dose of joie deVivre.

deVivre's Do/See/Eat: Prospect Heights

Our favorite thing about living and working in New York City? The neighborhoods. Even after calling NYC home for over a decade, we're still discovering seemingly secret spots and hidden, far-flung gems that always keep us coming back for more. From secret gardens to killer restaurants, each neighborhood is proof that you don’t need to travel far to find some the best culture, food & experiences on the planet. And, since we're in the business of making things happen, we often get asked for our go-to spots across the boroughs. Today we've got our top picks for what to do, see, and eat in one of our favorite NYC neighborhoods: Prospect Heights, Brooklyn.

Prospect Heights, Brooklyn!

Do: Prospect Park

Sorry, Central Park, this gem is considered the landscape architect’s Olmsted & Vaux’s masterpiece; there is always something magical to do here, whether it’s the doggy wonderland that happens during off-leash hours every morning (5-9a), building igloos in winter, Smorgasburg, outdoor movie screenings and concerts throughout the summer, or simply taking a picnic and working on your tan, this park has something for everyone.

See: Brooklyn Museum, Eastern Parkway

Like the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan, this museum is “pay what you wish”, but unlike The Met it's rarely thronged with tourists and school groups. Tour their ongoing collections in (relative) solitude, or check out one of the amazing, topical, and somewhat radical (for the art world) special exhibitions hosted seasonally. We definitely recommend popping in and experiencing their current exhibit: We wanted a revolution: Black, Radical Women 1965-85 (through Sept 17th, 2017).

While Olmsted, Chuko, and Ample Hills have got the nouveau-Brooklyn haute cuisine waterfront covered (and we heartily recommend them all...if you can get in), our must-eat neighborhood spot is a humble Dominican restaurant known for its exquisite rotisserie chickens and perfectly authentic arroz con habichuelas. When El Gran Castillo's original, iconic, triangular-lunch-counter location was shuttered by BK developers, the neighborhood classic moved around the corner and is still just as good. Grab a sweet Dominican coffee and post up at a folding table to tuck into your quarter or whole bird (or take your chicken to go, picnic style).

If you’d like deVivre to plan an itinerary for a day (or week) trip to any neighborhood in the city or bring you a picnic (or pie!) at your favorite park or get you tickets to the season’s biggest exhibition or show, just shoot us a note, give us a call or send us an email and we will have you covered faster than you can sing “It’s up to you, New York, New York”.